Regina Cordium

Regina Cordium — Queen of Hearts — at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery represents one of Rossetti's symbolic female titles that operated more as a designation of type than a specific mythological or literary identity. The Queen of Hearts is the female figure as sovereign of the emotional realm — a variant of the femme fatale but more benevolent, her power based on the gift of love rather than its destruction. The 1866 oil on panel belongs to the period when Rossetti was developing this gallery of symbolic female types: Monna Vanna, Monna Pomona, Venus Verticordia, Sibylla Palmifera — each a slightly different inflection of idealized feminine presence. Kelvingrove's strong Pre-Raphaelite holdings make it an important home for this work, which represents Rossetti's approach to idealized portraiture at the peak of his mature production.

The panel support enables smooth color transitions and fine detail in the face and hair. Rossetti positions the symbolic title object — a heart, flowers, or playing card motif — within the figure's hands or the surrounding decorative field to anchor the allegorical meaning.